Nintendo reboots classic Super Mario Bros. games for 35th anniversary

Nintendo is marking 35 years since the original release of the Super Mario Bros. video game in Japan with new updated versions, playable on the Switch console.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a special games bundle marking the anniversary containing updates of three classic games – 1996’s Super Mario 64, 2002’s Super Mario Sunshine and 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy. 

The classic 1996 game, adored by a generation of children in the late 1990s, sees players running around an open-world trying to collect stars during various missions, while the other two games put the gameplay on a tropical island and far-off planets. 

As part of the new package, all three games feature updated HD graphics, controls adapted to the Switch’s Joy-Con and an in-game music-player mode to play the original music. 

Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which is retailing for £49.99 and is available to pre-order now, launches for the Nintendo Switch on September 18 as both a download and physical cartridge. 

Nintendo has also announced a new augmented reality version of Mario Kart that overlays gameplay on a gamer’s surroundings, such as a living room.

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35 years since the launch of the original Super Mario Bros. game for the NES console in Japan, the beloved character is starring in new games on the Nintendo Switch system

‘Mario has come a long way since jumping on that first Goomba in World 1-1 of the original Super Mario Bros. game,’ the gaming giant said in a statement.

‘Now, 35 years since the launch of that game in Japan, he is starring in new games on the Nintendo Switch system.

‘In addition to having higher resolutions than their original versions, the games have been optimised for a smooth gameplay experience on Nintendo Switch.’  

A physical version of the game is available on a limited basis, while the digital version will be sold on the Switch eShop for the same price until March 31 next year. 

‘Owners can still play its entire contents after this date has passed, and can also redownload it from Nintendo eShop if the software has been archived,’ Nintendo said.      

Screenshot from Super Mario 64. The classic game, adored by a generation of children in the 1990s, sees players running around an open-world trying to collect stars during various missions

Screenshot from Super Mario 64. The classic game, adored by a generation of children in the 1990s, sees players running around an open-world trying to collect stars during various missions

SUPER MARIO 3D ALL-STARS: THREE CLASSIC GAMES IN ONE

Super Mario 64

Year: 1996

Console: Nintendo 64

Nintendo says: ‘Super Mario 64 marked Mario’s glorious debut into the world of 3D.

‘Mario has a huge repertoire of moves, including running, jumping, swimming, stomping and punching, and performing a backward somersault that can help him reach even the highest platforms.’

Super Mario Sunshine

Year: 2002

Console: GameCube

Nintendo says: ‘Run, leap, bounce, slide and climb your way around an impossible expansive and utterly beautiful 3D world, soaking up the glorious sun.’

Super Mario Galaxy

Year: 2007

Console: Wii

Nintendo says: ‘Mario blasts off on an intergalactic quest to help Rosalina and save Princess Peach from Bowser’s assault of astronomical proportions.’ 

In a video presentation, Nintendo detailed many more games, products and in-game events that are all arriving for the 35th anniversary.   

One of the most exciting Super Mario games launching this year is Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which comes with an actual physical kart, driven by a toy Mario or Luigi figure. 

The karts have an-inbuilt camera on top of them, which projects the gamer’s surroundings onto the Switch screen and augments it with Mario Kart gameplay. 

Nintendo is also launching an updated version augmented reality version of Mario Kart that overlays gameplay on a gamer's surroundings

Nintendo is also launching an updated version augmented reality version of Mario Kart that overlays gameplay on a gamer’s surroundings

The £100 game, which is now available to pre-order for release on October 16, brings ‘the fun of the Mario Kart series to the real world’ on Nintendo Switch, according to the company. 

‘The physical kart responds to boosts in-game and in the real world, stops when hit with an item and can be affected in different ways depending on the race,’ Nintendo said. 

‘Players place gates to create a custom course layout in their home, where the only limit is their imagination.’     

Other new releases include Super Mario Bros. 35, a 35-player online battle in the world of the original Super Mario Bros. game.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, meanwhile, offers an enhanced version of the Super Mario 3D World game that originally launched on Wii U back in 2013. 

Nintendo has also launched an update of the classic game compilation – 1993’s Super Mario All-Stars that was originally available on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System – for Nintendo Switch online members. 

Nintendo has also released a digital timeline of Super Mario Bros. game releases for Mario fans to fondly reminisce, onto which they can insert their own birth date.  

In terms of hardware, Nintendo is releasing a fetching update of the Game & Watch handheld consoles that were first released in 1980, pre-dating the original Game Boy.

This new collectable device, available in November and retailing at £45, is inspired by the original Game & Watch systems

This new collectable device, available in November and retailing at £45, is inspired by the original Game & Watch systems 

The original Game & Watch handheld, released as a part of the original 'Silver' series in 1980

The original Game & Watch handheld, released as a part of the original ‘Silver’ series in 1980

Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros., is a collectable gold device is inspired by the original Game & Watch systems first released in 1980, retailing for £45. 

Released on November 13, the new console includes the original 1985 Super Mario Bros. game and the 1986 side-scrolling game Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

The smart new handheld also features an update of the much-adored game Ball, where Mario controls a character who must juggle several balls at once, and a digital clock. 

It’s much like the original handheld device, which included a game and could be used as a watch to tell the time. 

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Super NES Classic Edition is a mini console that mimics the design of the original system, released in 1990

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Super NES Classic Edition is a mini console that mimics the design of the original system, released in 1990

Nintendo will be hoping to replicate the success of the original Game & Watch series, which sold more than 43 million units worldwide.     

Nintendo has already re-released smaller versions of the NES Classic and the Super NES consoles to capitalise on consumers’ love for all things retro, back in 2017.

There were rumours in 2018 that Nintendo would be releasing an update of the Nintendo 64, based on alleged patents filed in its native Japan, although the so-called ‘N64 Classic Edition’ has not yet materialised.

The original console sold more than 50 million units between 1996 and 2003 and a retro version will likely be popular. 

REMAKES ARE DRIVING THE UK’S GAMING ECONOMY: REPORT

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy (pictured) was released for the PS$ in June 2017 and the Switch the following year. Reboots of old games are proving popular among those who spent their childhood in the 1990s playing games

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy (pictured) was released for the PS$ in June 2017 and the Switch the following year. Reboots of old games are proving popular among those who spent their childhood in the 1990s playing games

The trend for remastered games is playing a significant role in the growth of the gaming industry in the UK, according to Mobiles.co.uk.

The new UKIE UK Top Selling Games List for 2019 revealed that remakes and remastered games including Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, Resident Evil 2 and The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening were amongst the top 100 best selling boxed games sold in 2019.

While the more recent Final Fantasy VII remake quickly became one of the PS4’s best selling game to date.

Still remaining in the top 20 for the UK’s best-selling games of 2019 two years after its release, Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy receives around 6,600 unique searches every month.

Its continuing popularity indicates that British gamers are becoming increasingly nostalgic when it comes to their gaming choices. 

Crash Bandicoot also features at number 21 in the 2019 list. 

The remaster spiked the interest of gamers in the UK with a 49 per cent increase in search volume over the past 12 months alone. 

With an average of 27,100 monthly searches, the franchise’s decision to reboot this classic was certainly welcomed by the industry, indicating there is a huge appetite for nostalgic gameplay.

The final remaster included in the list of the top-selling games is The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening. 

Screenshoot from the update of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, released September 2019

Screenshoot from the update of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, released September 2019

Originally launched on the Game Boy in 1993, the remake was designed for the Nintendo Switch. 

As of March 2020, the new Link’s Awakening had sold more than four million copies globally6, and it’s one of the best-selling games of all time for the Nintendo Switch.

90s teens are 69 per cent more likely than the national average to spend between 21 and 28 hours gaming every week, Mobiles.co.uk claims. 

In 2019, the entire UK video game industry generated a huge £5.35 billion in revenue, with £3.77 billion of that total generated from video game software sales. There are 37.3 million gamers in the UK alone.  

Lee Chambers, Psychologist and gaming expert, commented on the research: ‘Gaming and nostalgia are heavily interconnected, to the point where it fuels trends and shapes the industry direction. 

‘Video games are incredible triggers for nostalgia, anchoring us back to an often carefree time, when we had fewer responsibilities and gaming became a social construct as groups of children all sat around in a bedroom socialising while playing.’

‘The reality of the industry is that nostalgic gamers are now the ones with purchasing power to relive past glories fighting dragons of their youth, while being decision-makers for buying games as presents for their children.

‘Your average early millennial is approaching 40. They don’t have the time they did as a child to form an emotional bond to a game’s story with life’s distractions, but a remake removes that barrier, making it all the more attractive.’   

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